


Defending Five

by ClaraCivry (Kat_Of_Dresden)



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Not Beta Read, Number Five | The Boy Deserves Better, Sibling Love, protective hargreeves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:47:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26165128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Of_Dresden/pseuds/ClaraCivry
Summary: They can say whatever they want about him... But only they are allowed. No one else can ever badmouth him.5 + 1 times the Hargreeves defended Five in one way or another.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & The Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 413





	1. Chapter 1

Luther had landed a job at the commission.

It was just sorting documents for Herb and Dot, to lighten up a bit the load the analysts. Something fairly mindless, just sorting material depending on the century, on the timeline, and giving it a colour code.

Luther was a good at it, and even though it was a relatively menial job, he liked it, and he had colleagues that more and less liked him, too. He didn't have great social skills, but he was a cheerful dude and had a fairly nice face, so people were ready to give him a chance, enjoyed his enthusiasm.

And Luther enjoyed the chance to socialize with people that weren't his family, or part of a crime ring. Just workers, going about their days, having lunch, talking about the weather, or food, small things like that. He enjoyed that no one commented on his size too, as they saw weirder things every day.

All in all, Luther was really happy, and thought fairly highly of his colleagues.

Until that one conversation he heard outside the toilets just as he was getting out.

".... why didn't we ever erased him as well? With all the damage he did to the timeline, and to so many of us."

Luther had a bad feeling about who they were talking about.

"Because the handler was sweet on him. She kept talking about him, "Five this, Five the other..." and there's was something really weird between them too, they were not... fucking, like I would have understood that, but...He wasn't... Anyways, she was in the way, but now? I would put a suggestion to get him out, at least, before he kills another board of directors and creates an end of the world were there was none..."

A suggestion to kill Five? They were going to put a suggestion to get Five killed?

"Yeah, he's a danger to us all, not just in the commission, but in the world... And, between, he was so insufferable... So conceited, so arrogant, thinking of no one but himself, thinking himself all high and mighty. He was only good at one thing, and it was killing people - nothing more to salvage there. If he doesn't do that anymore..."

"Then good riddance. You put that suggestion."

Luther had heard enough. More than enough.

He got out and pinned the man that was "going to suggest" such a thing against the wall.

"You will leave my brother alone."

"Oh, come on, Luther." the other man, a guy called Kevin, said "You're a good guy, you must know that Five... like I know he's your brother, but sometimes people in our family are... crap, too. Irredeemable."

They dared call Five irredeemable?? Five who had spent his entire life sticking up for them, who had done unspeakable things so he could save their lives?? His hold on the guy on the wall (Doug?) tightened. Doug was very much panicking. Luther was angry.

"I know that there are people in our families that are bad. Our dad was bad. He was toxic and manipulative and hurt all of us, apart from doing who knows what other shady evil stuff to others. But Five is a good person."

"Luther..."

"He is! He threw me out of the way so that I wouldn't be buried by a wall once, and got buried himself. He passed out from bloodloss once because he was so fucking focused on trying to help. So you don't get to say that he only thinks of himself. You just don't" He said, pushing Doug stronger against the wall.

"Just because he's helped you a couple of times..."

"He has a lot of other great qualities too. He is smart, and he is efficient. I know he made sure that the people he killed didn't suffer, and if possible didn't know he was coming, didn't realise what was happening. And he feels remorse, and he's been trying to fix his wrongs. He suffers because of what he did. He may be mean, but he has a good heart. He cares about us. He may not care about many more people, but with everyone judging him like you... It's no wonder."

Kevin had the decency to look a bit ashamed. Had they been too quick to judge? They really didn't know this guy that well.

"Just because he has a mean personality you don't get to say those things. He's not irredeemable and he's not crap. And he's good at many things that aren't killing, thank you very much. You guys just don't know him well enough. Fuck you."

He let go of Doug with a dangerous look.

"And if you dare put that suggestion..."

"I won't, I promise! I'm sorry for being so quick to judge."

"Five is a good person, all right? He may be insulting and annoying sometimes, but he's a good guy, and he's super selfless and smart and YOU.WILL.NOT.HURT.HIM, you won't even suggest it, okay? Just not."

"Of course, of course!" Doug said "I'm sorry I even suggested it, Luther. We were in the wrong and won't make that mistake again."

Luther sure hoped they did.

Ok, so yeah, he'd got angry at Five many times. Many many times. Sometimes he'd felt he couldn't even stand the sight of him, with his cruel words, and his head full of smartness and all that nonsense, making them (even, hell, specially, him) feel small. But they couldn't be short-shighted with Five.

Because Five had a million layers, and Five was frayed and broken in many places, and had lived through things they "couldn't even comprehend" according to him. So yeah, you had to have a little patience with Five. And sometimes it was easy to fall in those traps, to get annoyed at him and push him away, to think him emotionless and cruel.

But the Five underneath was so much more than that, he was brave and caring and really really tired and was just starting to open up, and... Someone dared suggest having him killed? Their brother who had risked insanity and pyschosis to try and get them home? Their brother who used the last of his strength to transport Diego to some place where bullets wouldn't get to him? Five was so much than just a killer.

And the rest of the workers would learn not to bad mouth him, much less try to hurt him! No one would hurt him, now, no Handler, no end of the world, no nonsense.

Not even any nameless but still dangerous commission workers would hurt him, by action or even just by words..

Five deserved better, and he would get better.


	2. Chapter 2

Claire was sitting in the grass in the park, happily doing her homework. Yes, happily. Because her uncle Five was helping her with them, and he always made her feel very capable and smart (and he also made fun of others with her -but ssssh it's a secret- and listened when she complained about teachers or mom) and he somehow made math seem like the most fascinating thing in the world.

So yeah, she was doing the homework happily, while Allison watched from a nearby picnic table with a warm smile in her face. It had been Five's idea, doing the homework outside (because after all those hours cooped up in school, isn't it better to continue with your responsibilities under the sun, feeling the air? We'll make the homework feel special, so she's almost looking forward to it, Five had said, and he'd been right). Claire had been a bit behind on her schoolwork, and he had come up with this idea.

It had worked like a charm.

Claire was now looking forward to the end of the school day to be with her uncle! He had the best stories and sometimes brought her peanut butter sandwiches and made a lot of fun jokes mom would never. He wasn't very affectionate physically, not yet, but he was getting there. Letting her hug him more, letting her peck him in the cheek.

Today they were doing a project of science about plants, and Claire had thought that trees were boring but Five had told her about a tree that was poisonous and it was so interesting and so original and the teacher would give her extra points because it was very helpful that she could warn her classmates about this tree. (It was called Manchineel tree) (Her uncle Five knew so many things)

As Allison watched contentedly how her daughter got excited about doing a project about a tree, a bunch of moms she knew from Claire's school approached her. Oh, dear. There were moms that were good, of course, like Julie or Sue, whose daughters were friends of Claire's, but when the moms came like that, in hoards and with a leader with fake pearls and a fake smile... Beware.

"Allison, dear, how are you. We were... well, we are a bit concerned about Claire."

"How so?"

"Do you think it's really wise for her to spend time with that boy?" Alpha mom said, with a cringey smile on her face, that said, " _it's not, you're a bad mother for letting this happen_ _”_.

"That boy is my brother. Her uncle."

"Yeah, sure, of course, but... isn't he a bit strange? We have seen him a couple of times as in trance, eyes unfocused, or screaming...It is a bit disturbing."

This lady was talking to her as if Allison was the child that needed to be explained everything. Well, two could be at that game.

"Well, you see, Jenna, my brother Five has flashbacks, part of something that is called post traumatic stress syndrome. Do you know about it? It means that bad things happened to him while he was missing, and sometimes it comes back. This has been explained to Claire and she understands it, and wants to be there for her uncle when possible."

_If a child can get this, why can't you?_

"He looks dangerous, and disturbed." Another of the moms, Laurie, said, with a stern expression. "And he has too many scars for a teenager, even though he grew up with you and you have none, which probably means he's aggressive. We are only thinking of your daughter's well-being, Allison. She shouldn't be spending that much time with someone like that. Shouldn't have such a damaged role model."

Allison had had enough of this. Enough of people telling her how to be a parent, enough of their fake concern and superiority and more than enough of people telling her that Five was a horror. No, sir, no more.

"Do you any of you cared to find out, to ask me how did he get those scars? Why he has flashbacks? I'll let you know, Jenna, Laurie, and the rest of you, that if Claire and us and your children are alive today it's because of Five. I will not tell you things you will not understand, but Five has scars because he cares more about protecting us than he cares about himself.

He has PTSD and is damaged because he did a crazy amount of very painful and complicated things, putting himself in danger again and again, so we could all have another chance. He is strange, and he is damaged, but he got all that damage by being a strong, caring, brave man. 

My brother Five, once, got buried in rubble while trying to protect his brother. Is that a bad example? Being selfless like that is bad? He once collapsed while on a mission with us, and while he should've known his limits better, being hard-working is being a bad example? My brother Five is smarter than all of us, probably all of us combined, enough so that he managed to find a way for Claire to catch up when the most expensive tutors could not. Is that someone she should not spend time with?

My brother Five has PTSD and he has night terrors and he had been hurt in ways we can't even begin to understand, but he's actually a great role model. He's intelligent, he's very brave and he's there when you need him, no matter what it is that you need. He put his hands on my throat to stop the bleeding when my neck was slit. So, yeah, Five is a bit strange, and he is quite damaged.

But I can't think of a better role model for my daughter than a hero like Five."

That shut them up for a while. Some of them looked at him, shocked at what they had heard. Had he... had he really... Yes, yes he had.

"We were just trying to help."

"By insulting my brother. Don't ever do that again."

"...ah, yes, sure. Have a nice evening, Allison."

She would.

And when Claire came at her and asked if uncle Five could stay for dinner, she smiled.

Of course he could.

This time and every time.

Uncle Five could stay forever.


	3. Chapter 3

There were always ghosts around Five. Sometimes they were friendly, sometimes they were extraviolent monsters that wanted to kill Five with their ghostly non-corporeal hands.

Most of them, though, were people that didn't know what they were doing there, because they hadn't known they'd been murdered, they hadn't even seen Five, so they didn't know why they were haunting this sour kid.

Klaus most of the time didn't explain, and just invented a new story each time, from "this boy is the reincarnation of your long lost soul mate" to "you must have taken a wrong turn in dead spirit highway, my buddy". It was fun.

Especially now that Klaus could make ghosts his bitches, appearing and disappearing when he wanted them to, and blocking them when they were mean or gave him headaches. Now he could just call on them when he wanted someone to chat, and he would be able to learn more about people's lives by talking to their ghosts.

Five had apparently killed people all around the globe, people who had all sorts of jobs, people who were horrible human beings to people who were the kindest souls. It was just about cleaning the timeline anyway, and Five often didn't even know why he was killing these people.

But now... Now there was a ghost that intent on hurting Five, a ghost full of resentful energy.

It was, somehow, giving Five nightmares, dropping his coffee mugs, he even managed to shatter the window of his room while he slept, and now Five was covered in cuts (he'd been sleeping when it had happened and had been to late to blink) and he there was an exhausted expression in his eyes because he couldn't sleep and... And Klaus deicded to intervene.

"Hey, you. It's been enough. I get that you're pissy that you were off, but the time to stop messing with my brother is now." Klaus said, and the ghost scoffed.

"I'm just getting started."

"You realise he didn't even know you, right? He was carrying out orders. You should be angry at the people who gave the order, not him. He was just a trigger man, had nothing against you personally."

"BUT HE KILLED ME!"

"I know but..."

"He could have disobeyed the order!"

Klaus sighed. Things were just so much more complicated than this, and he knew that Five... had a troublesome past, a dark history, but it was all so layered and really, a lot of it hadn't been really Five's fault...

"Let me tell about Five, all right? And if after the whole story you still want to hurt him... Well, we'll see. But let's paint the picture, all right? You're thirteen. Practically still a child. And make a mistake, and find yourself stranded in a world with no people, no food, no nothing. Just a longing for the world you once knew."

The ghost seemed impatient, but he was going to listen to al of it, Klaus would make sure.

"Remember, you're a child, and you're all alone, in hell. There's no one, for years, and years, and decades, only the ruins of what you loved, and the bodies of your family. You grow up like that. Your head is so wrong, because you've spent your life alone, and struggling to survive. And then.... When your head is barely there anymore.... Someone comes for you."

The ghost was listening. Klaus knew how to tell a story, it was how he'd got so many free shots and contacts on his junkie days.

"Someone takes what little is left of your mind and warps it. Tells you that now you get to still survive, but if you do this teensy little thing that is for the good of mankind, you won't get to continue living in hell, that hell will be a distant memory, that you do this little thing that you're conditioned to think is a good thing and then you'll be able to be free, to have a life outside of hell. Wouldn't you take that chance too?"

".... I guess I would."

"Who are you going to go against, then, the child that lived in hell and was brainwashed to do a job he never chose, or the guys that took this half-gone survivor and used him to further their terrible-terrible agenda?"

The ghost didn't like this.

"But he killed me!"

"Maybe, but was it his fault, though? It really wasn't."

The ghost of the man looked at Klaus, and then at Five, that was in the next room looking dead to the world, nursing his thrid cup of coffee of the evening.

"Look, I know my brother. He's stuck up and mean, and yeah, quite good at violence, but he has a good heart. He doesn't like hurting people, even if he's done it. He's trying to find a life without all that, you know, he went to a lot of trouble to save us and now is living without it. He really could continue killing people, since he's so good, but he's his back on it.

Which can't be easy, because that's the only life he knows, and yet, he doesn't complain, he's all in board for not killing anyone else. Leaving all that he was behind, which is not easy. At all. But Five does it, the way he did so much for us. He's... stubborn, but he's really trying to use his wits for good, even after the most fucked up life you can ever imagine.

I admire him. And I am quite fucking sure that he didn't want to kill you. So... maybe perhaps mayhaps cut the poor guy some slack? After all he's done? Maybe?"

"Can you like.... direct me to the people that ordered the hit on me?"

"Maybe we can do some investigations! Ghost investigations like a weird less happy ending Scooby doo! We'll see who's behind it and haunt the proper person. Sound like a plan?"

"All right."

Klaus smiled and kissed Five's hair before leaving, much the smaller Hargreeves' surprise.

"It'll be better now, little fella."

Klaus would make sure of it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set in season three (so speculative and AU)

As much as he loved his knives, as much as he knew you can never trust anyone, Diego never thought he would be doing this.

Holding on his knives to Ben's neck, with all the intention of using it if need be.

Because this wasn't their Ben but it also was their Ben in a way. He had the same name, grew up in the same place, had otherworldly powers. And while most of the things he did (almost all, actually) didn't remind them of their Ben at all, he had the same body and face, and it was difficult not to be reminded sometimes, not to mistake him, not to hope that there was something of their Ben inside....

But this, this was not tolerable, this was not acceptable.

Five had gone to try and talk this Ben into helping them, into changing sides, maybe used his inside portal to another dimension to help them get back to their timeline. It could work, right? They were both very smart guys, and even if this Ben was kinda evil, well Five was slightly evil too, maybe they could get to some kind of deal, of arrangement.

Still, even if it made sense, Diego had had a bad feeling, and stayed in the door, just in case.

Five was the only one out of all of them that understood how parallel realities and time-space travel really worked, and they needed him to figure out ways to get back.

(Also he Five was his brother and he cared about him and was worried for him, even though he would never admit this out loud, or even to himself)

And then he heard a noise, something like sounded like I don't know, a teenager's body colliding against a wall, and so he entered there, knives at the ready, no questions asked, no knocking nothing.

Inside the room, there was something he couldn't practically understand, something too strange, something that, like Five would say "he couldn't even comprehend". His littlest-but-oldest brother was slumped on the floor, after indeed having collided against the well. But that wasn't what was weird, what was impossible. What was impossible was that Five was crying, positively sobbing, eyes bloodshot and cheeks wet with tears.

And Five never cried. Never ever. Not when they were kids and dad was especially hard on him for being mouthy. Not when he came back from a mission injured, and was in so much pain, losing so much blood that he passed out. Not when he had to give p his mannequin love and say goodbye. Not when he realised they hadn't actually managed to save the world like he'd been wanting to for practically all his life.

Not ever. 

Five had been through some of the most harrowing experiences a person could ever be, total isolation, watching your family die, having to kill all sorts of people because if not you would be erased, whatever had happened with the handler that probably bordered on sexual harassment if it wasn't full on assault, the guilt and the horror of knowing that losing all your life was your own fault ("every day I heard his voice" "what did it say" "I told you so" that's fourty five years of self flagellation), he had been through all of that.

And Diego hadn't seen him cry. Because he knew crying help, because he knew how to be bigger than that.

But now Five's face was criss-crossed with tears, and he was full on sobbing on the floor.

Which meant what had happened had hurt him in a way that it had tore down even the defences of the fourth horseman, of the most dangerous assassin of time and space...

And Diego knew that he was all that, but crying like that, he could only see his brother's big eyes, so full of sorrow and pain, so broken....

It was hard, because this was Ben's face, and Ben was his brother too, and maybe he had more fond memories with Ben than with Five, but - something in his look wasn't Ben, or at least not the Ben they knew. With Five, even if he was all thorns on the outside and threatened to kill you over and over, you knew that on the inside he would lay his life down for you every time.

When he did stuff it was always because he needed to achieve something, something that would maybe undo previous horrors, something better. And Diego knew for a fact that he tried his victims not to suffer, and that he only did those ordered. Five could be... difficult and distant sometimes, but he was a good man. For all his arrogance, there was no cruelty in him.

And there was something cruel in this version of Ben. Something that looked like he enjoyed hurting them - and had enjoyed hurting Five.

So yeah, although he never thought he would do this, Diego had a knife to Ben's throat.

"What did you do to my brother?" he asked, clearly enunciating every word.

Ben just smiled. Five's sobs behind him felt knives on Diego's heart, and if he knew something was how knives felt like.

"We just had a chat, didn't we Number Five? And if it reopened some wounds, or made him relive some traumas, re-awaken certain suicidal tendencies he had, well I do apologise."

Not-Ben/Evil-Ben was smiling and Diego hated every second of it.

"Why is he on the floor then? If you were just chatting?"

"Maybe there was a teeny tiny physical altercation, but it was all solved, wasn't it, Number Five?" there was something about the way he enunciated those last words that made Diego push the knife closer.

"He fell, didn't he, the small old buddy. Like he's always doing, falling, failing, ruining everything for everyone, right? Number Five thinking he's so-"

"He's so what? What the fuck are you going to say about him, huh? Something to hurt him more? Well, fuck you. He tried to reason with you and you broke him. I don't care what you say about him, Five doesn't deserve. He's the smartest, bravest, most dedicated person I know and he has hurt himself time and again to give us a chance, even if he received next to nothing in return. And you decided to hurt him further?"

The knife was almost cutting the skin now.

"So fuck you, fuck each and every one of your words for causing each and every one of those tears, fuck your smile and your smug expression, and fuck you deciding that it was okay hurting someone who has been so hurt already. You're bullshit, and you don't deserve the face you're wearing. "

He moved and buried his knife in evil-Ben's palms.

"If I see you even looking at my brother in a way don't like again, it won't be your hand. Got it?"

And so he left Not-Ben looking at his bloody palm surprised, and went to Five, helped him from the floor, and they left that room.

Five was trying to dry his tears, stop it, but it seemed to be proving more difficult than he thought.

"Diego." he said, with a small voice that made Diego want to kill evil-Ben again. "Do you... do you think I should have died? Do you... do you think things would have been better for everyone?"

Five's eyes looked bigger and brighter than ever and Diego.... He breathed. Tried to push his rage aside, to be there for Five. He'd had no one to be there for him for so long, he deserved the company and the comfort. Not just more violence on his name.

"I don't think that. I think that you're a hero, I think that you helped us and I think I'm really happy that you're my brother. Five, look at me."

And that was it. A look. So that Five would know he meant every word.

"Both when we were kids and now, you've always been there for us. And sometimes you're an idiot, and you're mean and I want to hate you, but none of what that... him said was true. So do not believe him - and I know sometimes you can't help being hurt, but... He's not right. You have us, and we have you and we wouldn't change that, at least I wouldn't. You're important and it... burns me that he hurt you like that."

Diego took away some of the tears, hopefully some of the last ones.

"Fuck him. Let's get you some coffee, see what Klaus and Allison have come up with, yeah?"

Five nodded.

Diego patted him in the back.

His rage was still there, though.

Maybe put aside for a bit... But not forgotten.


	5. Chapter 5

Vanya knew that they didn't mean to hurt him, of course.

Knew that inside their little brains, Luther and Diego also cared for Five, as much as she did. But they could be a bit dense at times, and quite hurtful when they wanted to be. And she didn't know exactly what they'd done to him, but whatever it was, it had hurt him, and she wouldn't stand for it.

So there she was, the tiniest person in the room no physically but metaphorically towering over some hunched over big boys, who were looking apologetic and guilty. Oh, they were so going to hear her.

"What on earth did you do?"

No words. Just silence, and sneaky looks to each other.

"Tell me, Numbers One and Two, leaders of our shitty family, why did I see Five yesterday holding back tears and looking like he'd had his heart taken out and stepped on when after some conversation with you guys."

Still silence. They probably thought they could get away with it, didn't they? Well, not this time. This time, if Five was not going to retaliate then someone would on his behalf. Someone had to, for once. Vanya thought that this was

"Do you guys really understand what he has been through for us? Not just the loneliness, but the hunger, the pain, do you even know how many times he's been beaten up trying to save your sorry asses? How many times he's been shot at? And he's kept going regardless?"

Luther tried to speak, and in a small voice said something that sounded ridiculous.

"I... didn't mean to."

They really hadn't meant to do any harm. It had been some poor taste jokes about kids and such that went a bit too far, but they thought themselves hilarious, and kept going. And yeah, maybe some bits of it were a bit cruel and they really should have stopped, but they had been drunk... Luther could see now how their stupidness may have been hurtful, even if they never meant to hurt.

"Didn't you? Like you didn't mean to throw him off some stairs? Like you didn't mean to refuse to help him after he saved your very doomed and idiotic life? Like you didn't mean to conspire to have him killed after two minutes of it being suggested? Well, Luther I honestly couldn't care less about what you mean, but I care about what you do, and how it affects our very traumatized brother. So yeah, excuse me for not giving a damn about what you meant."

There was more silence. Vanya knew she wasn't blameless herself, but at least since things were less fucked up she'd been trying to make things better for him, making up for the past mistakes. But there was always someone or something else making things worse and then even worse for Five, wasn't there?

At least now, there would be some retaliation.

"Diego?"

"I'm... We're... sorry."

Vanya scoffed.

"Oh, you're sorry! Well, that makes everything better, doesn't it? I'm sure that will fix all of Five's night terrors, make his big, tired, so terribly expressive and caring eyes look happy again. Because you're sorry. You've hurt him somehow, but you're sorry, and that makes it all better, doesn't it? Sorry won't cut it, not anymore."

Vanya was seeing him again as she found him the previous night, looking all brokenhearted and small, giving her a tired and forlorn look. He really did look as old as he actually was, even in that youthful body of his. They had no right to hurt him, no right at all.

"He's just... " Luther kept trying to justify himself,

"Annoying? And what exactly do you guys think you are? The biggest joy in the world to be around? Burly and surly is what you are, but no one is throwing you ff some stairs."

There were some sighs. The guys seemed regretful, at least, jut looking at their feet as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Yes, they fucked up, but did Vanya need to put it out in such a painfully clear way?

She sighed.

"Guys, we have to be more careful with him! He's... a little ball of PTSD, math and responsibilities. All his life he's been struggling, and just holding on for us, no place in his head or his life for himself. Don't you think there should be a place for some niceness there as well? Some appreciation?"

Diego sighed, trying not to think of Five's eyes, and the pain in them. He was so terribly used to being hurt - it wasn't fair. And they had only added to it.

"You're right, Vanya. We fucked up. We didn't mean to make him sad but we did, and we have to make it right."

"How though?" Luther asked. "If sorry it's not enough."

Vanya sighed. Yes, better not to let anger take over and try to think more.... constructively.

"It's not enough, but it's a good place to start. You apologize, honestly, in a long and heartfelt passion. And you get him something too, coffee, a fancy fountain pen, something that he will like, and that shows you guys are thinking of him and willing to spend time and money on him too. Show him that you care you hurt him."

"I can do that." Diego said.

"Yeah, we can, because we actually do care. It will be easy."

Vanya threw a dangerous look that said "you really better do it" and then continued

"And for the love of God, be more careful next time, all right? None of us has lived through what Five has, he's spent most of his life alone...."

"We are going to make the effort, Vanya - I swear."

And it was not an empty promise, either. Vanya's anger had been an eye-opener. They had really been careless with Five and they needed to do better, make more of an effort to be kind to him despite his many layers of mean and rude.

They started with apologies and presents, like Vanya suggested.

And then continued trying to make things better for Five.

Every day a little and little better.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you enjoyed, would love to hear from you!
> 
> You know you want to comment ;)


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